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How Do I Get Started with Open Educational Resources?

You've heard about the transformative potential of Open Educational Resources' (OER) use in the classroom but aren't sure where to begin? This collection connects you to the resources and support you need to take that initial step toward exploring the opportunities afforded by OER implementation.

Instructional Practices
Updated June 2026
Bethany Mickel headshot
Bethany Mickel
Instructional Design & OER Librarian
University Library
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Emily Scida
Instructional Designer
Learning Design & Technology
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Guidance and Resources at UVA

University of Virginia Library

The University of Virginia Library provides comprehensive information on how to find, use, and create OER, emphasizing affordability, pedagogy, and inclusivity. It offers practical resources such as consultations, workshops, and publishing tools.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida
This UVA Library guide is a one-stop shop for OER support. You'll find practical tools and services like consultations, workshops, and publishing tools, which are incredibly useful for faculty and students with the added bonus of direct contact to helpful librarians well-versed in OER practices.
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Open Education - Connecting with the Library

University of Virginia Library
Open resource

The UVA Library supports the creation and use of Open Educational Resources (OER), which are freely available for sharing, adapting, and reuse.

Open Educational Resources (OER) can encompass a variety of materials, including textbooks, syllabi, course modules, videos, assessment tools, and more.

Our initiative also supports Open pedagogy, the practice of leveraging OER to foster equitable and active learning experiences that engage students as active creators of information, leading to improved engagement and academic success.

Website
30 minutes
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Locating OER

University of Pittsburgh Library

OER 'live' in various places as they take many forms. This categorized resource aggregates various repositories, providing access to a wide range of Open textbooks, simulations, syllabi, and more.

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ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida

This page is a fantastic resource if you're looking to locate high-quality OER. It offers a well-organized, categorized collection of tools and databases to help you easily discover materials for your teaching or learning needs.

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Evaluating the Quality of OER

Olena Zhadko and Susan Ko

This is a comprehensive framework for evaluating and selecting OER that includes criteria such as coverage, context, comprehensiveness, quality, reliability, currency, appropriateness for course level and student audience, access, accessibility, format, adaptability, and customizability.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida

If you need a structured approach to evaluate and select OER, this document provides clear criteria and practical considerations. Adaptable and ready-for-use, it provides the key components of evaluation for a thoughtful review of open resources.

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OER Evaluation and Selection Criteria

Olena Zhadko and Susan Ko
Open resource
This list of criteria is suitable for any type of OER, including an open textbook or individual OER artifacts/objects. This guide is intended for individual faculty or those supporting them. Not all criteria will apply in every case, but the criteria can serve as a general framework for the evaluation and selection process. Depending on the subject or course material you already have, or what you are seeking, one or more of these criteria may be more important or have greater priority.
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Creating OER: Tips for New Creators

Abby Elder - Iowa State University

This short video contains a methodical approach for those seeking to create OER. From determining your course needs to disseminating the created materials, this video provides an overview of important steps to get you started in the right direction.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida
Getting started with OER creation is a daunting project; however, Abbey Elder, a leading Open advocate, breaks the process into actionable steps. If you are seeking a direction for resource creation, this quick and informative video is an excellent starting point.
Video
6 minutes
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Adaptation and Modification of Existing Resources

Colorado Mesa University

This page provides a detailed guide on modifying existing OER content to suit specific classroom needs. With links to additional resources, it provides a grounding in the considerations for adaptation and modification.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida

The sequential outline of this page, along with the links to other valuable resources, makes it an excellent starting point for learning about the considerations involved in adaptation and modification of OER. Clicking on each of the hyperlinked steps in Step 3 allows for further exploration.

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Open resource

Sometimes you will find OER that might need to be adapted to fit specific needs and requirements for your classroom. Adapting OER means making changes to already existing open content (Revise and Remix). It can be as basic as editing the content so as to customize it to your needs (Revise) or finding other OER content that you can combine and integrate with the original OER content (Remix).

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Choose a Creative Commons License

Creative Commons

Use this interactive tool from Creative Commons to identify the right open license for your materials. Answer a few questions and get ready-to-use license text to copy directly into your work.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
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Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida

If you're sharing or creating OER, the Creative Commons License chooser walks you through a few simple questions to identify the right license for your work. It also generates ready-to-use HTML or plain text language you can copy directly into your materials.

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The OER Starter Kit Workbook

Abby Elder and Stacy Katz

A hands-on companion to the OER Starter Kit, this workbook adds practical worksheets to help you build the skills needed to confidently find, use, and create open educational resources. Designed for instructors at any experience level, it's also a useful resource for librarians, instructional designers, and administrators exploring OER.

Headshot of Bethany Mickel
ES
Bethany Mickel, Emily Scida

This workbook is an excellent choice for faculty who learn best by doing. The worksheets give you a structured way to practice finding, evaluating, and working with OER rather than just reading about it. It's accessible for complete beginners while still being useful for those with some OER experience. Librarians and instructional designers will also find it a helpful resource to share or use when supporting faculty through the OER adoption process.

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